Question About Weighted Side Bends

[LoneSilver]

Do weighted side bends work the same areas of the abs as the twisted crunchs would? I know they work parts of the back as well but I have a hard time doing the twisted crunchs but have no problems with the weighted side bends.

I also read not to do them cause they will add size to your waist plus I even read too that it's best not to use weights while doing any Abs work cause that too will add size to your waist I am a bit confused on this. I just want to get rid of the love handles.

LoneSilver

 

[Hockey Playa]

thanks for making this post, cause i just started doing weighted everything for abs. I also want to get rid of those love handles and reveal my abs

 

[stronglifts]

Do weighted side bends work the same areas of the abs as the twisted crunchs would? I know they work parts of the back as well but I have a hard time doing the twisted crunchs but have no problems with the weighted side bends.

I also read not to do them cause they will add size to your waist plus I even read too that it's best not to use weights while doing any Abs work cause that too will add size to your waist I am a bit confused on this. I just want to get rid of the love handles.

LoneSilver

1) The best solution for love handles is diet.

2) The best abs exercises for a smaller waist are overhead exercises:
* overhead presses (and push press)
* Overhead Squats
* Heavy Overhead Supports (holding weight overhead in the power rack)
* Walking while holding a weight Overhead
* Windmills
* Bent Press

Other exercises to finish: hanging (bent-)leg raises, prone bridges, deadbugs,...

 

[spesmilitis]

Man, overhead squats are awesome! Probably the #1 core exercise.

 

[Throttle]

I also read not to do them cause they will add size to your waist plus I even read too that it's best not to use weights while doing any Abs work cause that too will add size to your waist I am a bit confused on this.

this is bad advice for you that is based on a grain of truth. if you just do weighted situps & don't change your diet, you will just push the fat out further. but let's be real honest here -- how much muscle are you really going to add to your abs & obliques, compared to the fat already hanging off your hip bones?

build a strong core with exercises like the ones stronglifts listed, don't fear weighted situps--they're the best direct work out there--and recognize that the only way to show off that pretty core will be at least 2/3rds (and probably much more) diet. so the less ambitious goal of removing love handles is simply a long-term dietary challenge for most guys.

 

[LoneSilver]

OK thanks for the info.

I happen to love pressing exercises but key is the standing part I suppose.

I guess too it's OK to continue with the weighted side bends and crunches as well. I guess this is an areas where hitting them with different exercises while diet is watched brings them alive.

I just have some areas that are a bit of a challenge (lovehandles) and upon waking in the mornings I see signs of improvements as I am not as bloated as during the day but if I suck my stomach in I see some impressive abs coming on just gotta watch the diet closer but I am not after perfection but I love setting goals it keeps me motivated and if I can obtain a six pack that would be far out.

LoneSilver

 

[LoneSilver]

I'll have to give them too a try guess you don't use as much weight with them this way I suppose.

LoneSilver

Man, overhead squats are awesome! Probably the #1 core exercise.

 

[Throttle]

I happen to love pressing exercises but key is the standing part I suppose.

i just went back to standing military presses after doing them seated for quite a while, and i gotta tell ya, once you get the form down, few lifts are nearly as much fun -- it's a heady concoction of man-as-beast, triumphant pose at the top, and you-wanna-****-with-me-well-okay-how-about-i-drop-this-on-your-head. i think most of us can agree that we do this stuff mainly to look good not in the gym but the rest of the time (or some loftier reason, whatever). but just picture yourself with ever heavier barbells held high..... it's glorious. if that doesn't inspire you, i don't know what will.

 

[LoneSilver]

LOL! I couldn't agree more.

I'm going to try them I am already inspired by your post.

Don't know what I would do without Stronglifts advice yours Throttle and Warbosses and a few others around here.

You guys have helped me greatly more than you know you guys are full of knowledge and experience in this sport of strength training, bodybuilding and powerlifting etc., it is greatly appreciated.

LoneSilver

i just went back to standing military presses after doing them seated for quite a while, and i gotta tell ya, once you get the form down, few lifts are nearly as much fun -- it's a heady concoction of man-as-beast, triumphant pose at the top, and you-wanna-****-with-me-well-okay-how-about-i-drop-this-on-your-head. i think most of us can agree that we do this stuff mainly to look good not in the gym but the rest of the time (or some loftier reason, whatever). but just picture yourself with ever heavier barbells held high..... it's glorious. if that doesn't inspire you, i don't know what will.

 

[cuzza]

Abs are just like any other muscle. To build - heavy weight, low reps. Keep doing weighted ab stuff.

 

[LoneSilver]

OK and I believe a recovery period too should be done like maybe every other day or two.

Do abs build up like your building your arms, chest, back and legs and should I go for the burn for max results?

LoneSilver

Abs are just like any other muscle. To build - heavy weight, low reps. Keep doing weighted ab stuff.

 

[stronglifts]

Do abs build up like your building your arms, chest, back and legs and should I go for the burn for max results?

LoneSilver

The weight on the bar & the mirror is all that counts. If you train low rep you'll never really experience "the burn" anyway.

Train your abs like the rest: heavy, including recovery.

 

[LoneSilver]

If I were to do these exercises like the overhead Squat and the presses would this in anyway interfer with my shoulder workouts and leg day workouts if I did these on my rests day's.

I understand I won't be using heavy poundages with the overhead squats but just wondered how this would effect legs as well and recovery if I say did my legs yesterday and today I am doing overhead squats for abs?

Or is there a way to place them in my regular workouts?

LoneSilver

The weight on the bar & the mirror is all that counts. If you train low rep you'll never really experience "the burn" anyway.

Train your abs like the rest: heavy, including recovery.

 

[stronglifts]

If I were to do these exercises like the overhead Squat and the presses would this in anyway interfer with my shoulder workouts and leg day workouts if I did these on my rests day's.

I understand I won't be using heavy poundages with the overhead squats but just wondered how this would effect legs as well and recovery if I say did my legs yesterday and today I am doing overhead squats for abs?

Or is there a way to place them in my regular workouts?

LoneSilver

Don't know what you do on shoulder day, but I'd choose the overhead press as the main exercise.

If you've never done overhead squats before, you'll probably have it hard with an empty olympic bar (20kg). So it won't interfer with your leg workout. You could do 5 sets of 5 at the end of each workout (3times a week), do get the form down.

Unless you're going for pure bodybuilding, you have to stop thinking inside the "body part box". Thinking movements rather than muscles.

 

[LoneSilver]

OK, I am basically after both which I understand really go hand in hand as far as bodybuilding and powerlifting is concerned. As you powerlift or do the main compound exercises this will carry over into muscle gains correct depending on sets and reps of coarse?

Anyway, I will try this on my shoulder day I usually do seated behind the neck presses for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 but I do need to change and think I'll like the standing overhead press.

No never have done overhead squats before and bet they will be a challenge but I will give them a try look forward to trying them out.

LoneSilver

Don't know what you do on shoulder day, but I'd choose the overhead press as the main exercise.

If you've never done overhead squats before, you'll probably have it hard with an empty olympic bar (20kg). So it won't interfer with your leg workout. You could do 5 sets of 5 at the end of each workout (3times a week), do get the form down.

Unless you're going for pure bodybuilding, you have to stop thinking inside the "body part box". Thinking movements rather than muscles.

 

[Throttle]

Don't know what I would do without Stronglifts advice yours Throttle and Warbosses and a few others around here.

You guys have helped me greatly more than you know you guys are full of knowledge and experience in this sport of strength training, bodybuilding and powerlifting etc., it is greatly appreciated.

thanks for the kudos.

however i would like to take the opportunity to declaim my own experience in one sense. my posts rely heavily on knowledge gained from a variety of sources, and are inspired by waking up one day after many, many years of doing things the wrong way (or many different wrong ways, if you will).

however, if you met me -- and quite apart from some other posters who i'm quite sure are true beasts -- i wouldn't stand out physically in a crowd at the moment. my physique is impressive only if you knew me a couple years ago -- when i might stand out in a crowd for the wrong reasons. like most of you (and in some ways quite unlike WBA, Effort & others) I'm a journeyman in the middle of a long fight.

when i can can bench 400, squat 500 & dead 600 lbs. (or so) you might hear me pound my chest once or twice, b/c then & only then will I feel I've "arrived" in any meaningful sense. in the meantime, I'm in the middle of the journey with the rest of you, and not particularly worried whether or not I'll ever actually hit 400/500/600. But i have reason to believe that it's possible in a way I never would have thought even a year ago.

if the excessive certitude of my posts bothers anyone, just know that i'm at least twice this arrogant in person & on subjects i believe that i possess true expertise

my only goal is to increase the signal to noise ratio of responses here, which is why i'm brutally hard on a couple posters who i believe repeat bad or unhelpful information, and also why i'm very glad when experienced & knowledgeable guys like WBA, effort & stronglifts take the time to offer their own perspective, even on those rare occasions that i disagree with anything they post.

 

[stronglifts]

OK, I am basically after both which I understand really go hand in hand as far as bodybuilding and powerlifting is concerned. As you powerlift or do the main compound exercises this will carry over into muscle gains correct depending on sets and reps of coarse?

Anyway, I will try this on my shoulder day I usually do seated behind the neck presses for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 but I do need to change and think I'll like the standing overhead press.

No never have done overhead squats before and bet they will be a challenge but I will give them a try look forward to trying them out.

LoneSilver

To tell you the truth, if you're only training for 4 months, would be better to stick to the basics. Learning to squat/bench press/overhead press/deadlift correctly, takes some time. I'm still tuning my technique.

Try alternating benching with overhead press, will do the job. Or pm me your full workout, I'll give you my opinion.

 

[mrRuckus]

how much muscle are you really going to add to your abs & obliques, compared to the fat already hanging off your hip bones?
.

Are you calling me fat?!


___

I think the worst part of heavy ab exercises is having sex later. Buurrrnnnns...

 

[stronglifts]

thanks for the kudos.

however i would like to take the opportunity to declaim my own experience in one sense. my posts rely heavily on knowledge gained from a variety of sources, and are inspired by waking up one day after many, many years of doing things the wrong way (or many different wrong ways, if you will).

Join the club Throttle. Same here: learned the hard way. Probably why you want to increase the SNR. I hate it too when people advise things that I experienced to be counter productive.

About the disagreement (read this a few times today): our own experiences will dictate what we advise. Be it you, WBA, Effort, me,... the big lines are the same. It's in the details that our opinion will differ. And I like that. I might be training for 10 years, but I still know nothing. There are things I did 6 months ago I no longer agree with. I love it when someones challenges my beliefs, it makes me think/rethink my approach.

You can't argue about taste (bodybuilding vs. strength training), but you can certainly argue about why squatting should be done by all of us.

For the ones who've missed it, check out this post: 10 Years Of Strength Training, 10 Things I learned

 

[LoneSilver]

No problem and I understand your points completely.

LoneSilver

thanks for the kudos.

however i would like to take the opportunity to declaim my own experience in one sense. my posts rely heavily on knowledge gained from a variety of sources, and are inspired by waking up one day after many, many years of doing things the wrong way (or many different wrong ways, if you will).

however, if you met me -- and quite apart from some other posters who i'm quite sure are true beasts -- i wouldn't stand out physically in a crowd at the moment. my physique is impressive only if you knew me a couple years ago -- when i might stand out in a crowd for the wrong reasons. like most of you (and in some ways quite unlike WBA, Effort & others) I'm a journeyman in the middle of a long fight.

when i can can bench 400, squat 500 & dead 600 lbs. (or so) you might hear me pound my chest once or twice, b/c then & only then will I feel I've "arrived" in any meaningful sense. in the meantime, I'm in the middle of the journey with the rest of you, and not particularly worried whether or not I'll ever actually hit 400/500/600. But i have reason to believe that it's possible in a way I never would have thought even a year ago.

if the excessive certitude of my posts bothers anyone, just know that i'm at least twice this arrogant in person & on subjects i believe that i possess true expertise

my only goal is to increase the signal to noise ratio of responses here, which is why i'm brutally hard on a couple posters who i believe repeat bad or unhelpful information, and also why i'm very glad when experienced & knowledgeable guys like WBA, effort & stronglifts take the time to offer their own perspective, even on those rare occasions that i disagree with anything they post.